Tag Archives: Roof cleaning

A roof gets dirty for one or all of the following reasons. First and most commonly is the exposure to sun. Typically, you will notice that the northern exposure of your roof is dirty, while southern exposures may remain clean. This is because the northern exposures are constantly in the shade and rarely dry out. Early morning dew creates moisture and mold and algae grown in that environment. Typically, all northern exposure surfaces are dirtier than all other areas due to this lack of sun. Secondly, a roof is likely to get dirty if there are overhead trees or branches. The tree creates shade on the roof, which prevents the roof from drying out and causes mold and algae to grow. The tree also drops debris on the roof creating roof stains. Lastly, roofing manufacturers have removed most of the asphalt from the shingles and have replaced it with limestone. This limestone is a perfect food source for mold, algae and moss. So, you may notice any of these issues with your roof, algae (green) black streaks (dead algae), flat light green spots (lichen) and fluffy lime green spots (moss). All are incredibly unsightly but more importantly, they are extremely damaging to your roof. They literally eat away at your roof and if left untouched, they will eventually eat through the shingle.

Some companies lightly spray a chemical on the roof (soft washing) that removes these stains. They are using a chemical which is harmful to the environment. That is why they need to use masks on their face and spray the shrubs down with water while they are applying the chemical, to prevent from burning the landscape. This process does work, but the lichen may take weeks to die and fall off. They may also need to come back again for a second application.

Terraclean does not use the above process. Terraclean first applies an organic detergent that is safe enough to wash your hands with. This product loosens the algae, moss and lichen. Next, we steam clean the roof with over 200 degrees. This literally melts all of the debris off your roof and instantly the roof is perfectly clean without causing any damage. There are no chemicals used, and the results are instant. Terraclean cleans over a thousand roofs a year. Please visit www.terracleanpowerwashing.com to learn more and watch our videos to see how its all done.